The Mystery of Zoey
by ColorMeNicole
Summary: Chase learns what Zoey said on her time capsule DVD and it changes their lives forever. [Picks up where "What Did Zoey Say?" left off. Part 1/2]
1. Chapter 1

Seven years since he has seen Zoey Brooks and Chase is still finding himself willing to drop everything for her without a second thought. The mystery of Zoey's time capsule DVD finally revealed, he raced out of the restaurant, pulling his cell phone out of his pants pocket before he even came to a full stop. The sky was a cloudless blue; the kind of sky that fills a person with hope and optimism. Summer was winding down, but the sun still shone bright and hot. Determined to wait until he saw Zoey in person to speak with her, he dialed Quinn Pensky-Reese's number. Two rings later, a female voice answered.

"Hello? Chase?" Quinn's tone was that of surprise.

"Quinn!" he exclaimed. "Thank God. Listen to me, this is _very_ important: do you know where I can find Zoey?"

"Excuse me? This is the first time you talk to me in _years_ and all you want to do is find Zoey?" Quinn replied, irritated.

Chase yelled into the phone: "Quinn!"

"Alright, alright. Geez, some things never change." She sighed and continued. "Zoey has a boutique in Downtown LA. You know, Z by Zoey? She lives and breathes that place, so you'll almost certainly find her there."

Chase breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Quinn, you're the best."

"Yeah, yeah."

Chase clicked the phone off, shoved it back in his pocket, and jumped into his black Dodge Challenger in a single motion. He thrust his key into the keyhole and the engine roared to life. "LA, here I come." 

His heart beating out of his chest, Chase flew down the highway into LA. The drive felt like a lifetime, but in reality, he made it to the boutique within an hour. Upon entering, he had no idea what he would say to Zoey, but it didn't matter; at this point, he would have to wing it. The shop was igloo-shaped, minus the domed roof; the sales desk area was narrow and rectangular, and opened up to a larger, round retail area. The interior was both modern and traditional, with white walls, wood floors, and silver furnishings. He approached a younger-looking brunette woman at the cash register. Her shoulder-length hair was straight with two barrettes slightly above her eyes. She wore a sleeveless white turtleneck top and a knee-length black pencil skirt. She looked up and greeted him with a warm "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Chase Matthews. I'm looking for Zoey. Is she around?" Before the assistant could answer, footsteps came from the back corner of the store. The figure was temporarily obstructed by clothing racks, but Chase immediately knew who it was by her voice.

"I need some innovative ideas for mesh pieces, Stephanie. It's _the_ trend this season and we-" The voice stopped cold. Now in full view and only a few feet away was a beautiful, slim twenty-something. When she saw who was before her, she froze.  
Chase recognized the voice immediately and stared in awe when he saw her. Staring back at him was none other than Zoey herself. On top, she wore a white camisole, which she covered with a grey blazer, the sleeves folded up. On bottom, she wore grey slacks with black pumps. Her hair was back to its natural light blonde and bangs were swept to one side of her forehead; her hair fell two or three inches past her shoulders and slightly scooped up at the bottom. After a moment, Zoey regained her composure and broke the silence. "Chase. I'm sorry, I have a ton of work to do…" She turned to leave.

"Wait, Zo, we need to talk," he pleaded.

Zoey contemplated how to respond and whipped back around. "I just don't have the time. Sorry," she said disingenuously, her voice tinged with irritation. She turned and went back in the direction she came, Chase following closely behind. He waited until they were far enough away from the saleswoman and pleaded once more.

"Please just listen to me." Trailing behind her, he grasped Zoey's arm in his hand. She came to a sudden halt, turning to stare at Chase, half glaring and half waiting for him to speak. Taking the hint, he continued. "You remember the PCA time capsule, right? Well, I found out what you said in your DVD."

"You did _what_?"

"I know, I know, but you said you'd tell me in ten years and we…lost touch, so I figured finding out myself wouldn't be so awful." As he said this, Zoey's body started to relax. "Anyway, you said I could…be your soulmate…and I guess I just thought that-"

"That what?" She snapped. "That I still feel that way and waited for you all this time after you broke my heart?"

"That's not fair, Zo."

"Oh, _really_?"

"Yes! Really!" Chase shot back. "After Hawaii, you were constantly keeping me at arm's length…like you weren't interested anymore. And I didn't exactly come out of the situation unscathed."

By this time, Zoey had completely thawed. "You shouldn't have given up on me." She disappeared into the backroom, leaving Chase at a loss. 

The next day, Chase found himself at work, sulking. Work, for him, was writing an opinion column for the Los Angeles Times. He had only hours until they went to press and his creative juices refused to flow. Instead, he heard Zoey's voice over and over in his head: _You shouldn't have given up on me_. In an instant, Chase knew what his next editorial would be. 

At the boutique, Zoey was taking inventory before closing up shop for the weekend when she heard footsteps. She lifted her head to see Stephanie approaching, a tablet in tow.  
"I thought you should see this," Stephanie said, extending the tablet to Zoey.  
Zoey sighed and accepted the tablet, raising it toward her face. On the screen was a digital copy of the day's LA Times; it was turned to the opinion section. The top of the column read:

 _Why love is too valuable  
To give up on_

 _By Chase Matthews_

Sucking in a breath, Zoey read through the article and lingered at the last line. _Ultimately, the people we love may give up on us, but to reciprocate that would be to lose a part of our self and our feeling of wholeness, and to go through life with regret._

She smiled to herself and handed the tablet back to Stephanie. "Thanks," Zoey said and turned her focus back to work. 

The next day, Chase returned to Zoey's shop, determined to make things right. As soon as he swung the door open, his eyes zeroed in on the saleswoman at the desk. This time, Stephanie was preoccupied with something on the computer screen, so Chase cleared his throat to get her attention. It proved effective. "I need to speak to Zoey," he demanded.

The saleswoman's smile fell slightly. "Oh, my apologies; after we closed yesterday, she said she was taking off for the weekend."

Disappointed, Chase prodded for more information. "Oh, well, will she be back on Monday?"

"It's possible, but I would assume she'll take more time off for her honeymoon."

His stomach dropped. "Sorry, her what?" The muscles in his face contorted, as if he were in pain.

"Her honeymoon," Stephanie repeated. "She and her boyfriend went to Santa Barbara to elope."

Chase went from determined to devastated to desperate in a matter of moments. "Stephanie," he said, struggling to regain his composure, "I need you to tell me _exactly_ where Zoey is."


	2. Chapter 2

The GPS leading the way to Santa Barbara, Chase anxiously dialed Zoey's phone to no avail. After a dozen tries and no luck, he gave up. "God, don't let me be too late," he said to himself.

Finally, he pulled up to Zoey's resort and hastily parked the car. Chase leapt out and darted through the hotel's automatic doors to the front desk, clutching it for stability. Breathless, he could barely voice his request. "Looking…for…Zoey Brooks. Please…help."

After a moment's hesitation, the concierge – a man wearing a green blazer and a nametag - appeared to recognize the name. "Oh, yes, Ms. Brooks checked in about forty-five minutes ago and left here shortly thereafter; she appeared to be walking toward the beach." Chase took a few deep breaths and the concierge added "Between you and me, she looked like she was on her way to her wedding- she was dressed up in all white and-"

"How do I get to the beach?" Chase interrupted, his voice urgent.

"There's a path directly behind this hotel that will take you down there," the concierge replied.  
Chase dashed out the doors and around the hotel until he saw the path. "This must be it," he murmured. He followed it until it opened up to an expansive white sand beach; waves crashed against the shoreline with mild force.

Chase looked to his right; nothing. Immediately upon turning to his left, he saw her. Zoey sat draping her legs over the side of a hammock hanging from two palms; one hand grasped the rope handle, the other at her side. She wore a flowy white dress with spaghetti straps and a flowery band rested on her head. Chase closed the distance between them until there was none. "Zoey, are you-? Am I-? Does this mean I'm not too late?" he asked warily. Zoey's expression was a combination of surprise and relief.

"You found me," she said, a soft smile on her face. She moved over, motioning for him to sit. As he joined her on the hammock, she ran a hand through Chase's cropped curls. "The shorter hair suits you."

"So, are you...?," he breathed, staring into her eyes.

"Am I married?" Zoey offered, staring back. She shook her head. "Chase, no. There wasn't anyone else."

Chase hesitated. "Zo, about what happened back at PCA...I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I gave up without a fight and that was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

"It's OK. I didn't exactly help things." She sighed. "I'm sorry, too. Our relationship escalated and I freaked. I had never been physical with anyone before and I didn't know how it would change our relationship. Part of me was afraid the physical stuff would take over and part of me was the afraid of the way I felt about you. I wasn't prepared for either of those things."

"If I would've known..." Chase said wistfully.

"It's OK. It doesn't matter now," Zoey insisted.

A long silence followed, then "So, when you said there wasn't anyone else, did you mean ever?" Chase inquired.

She nodded. "Ever."

"Then why did your assistant say-?" Zoey diverted her gaze downward and he began to understand. "This was a set-up."

Zoey met Chase's eyes again. "Stephanie and I may have done have a little conspiring," she smiled. Chase raised an eyebrow. "OK, mostly me."

"But why?"

"I was hoping you would come after me this time." Zoey gently rested her inner hand on Chase's. After a moment, he leaned in to kiss her, grasping her face. Zoey met his lips with her own, clutching at the hair on his neck.

When they parted, Chase had a confused look on his face. "For someone who isn't getting married, you sure look like a bride." Zoey looked at the ground again, blushing. "You're _not_ getting married, are you?"

"That depends," Zoey answered, eyes still glued on the sand. "Are you gonna let me waste a perfectly lovely wedding dress?" She looked up and was met with an astonished Chase.


End file.
